It was a pleasure to see Jon the Dog playing at Enban, as if it was a second home. I remember first article regarding her hometape recordings in French magazine Jade 12 years ago (1996) introducing her as ""The Queen of lo-fi in Japan" (dixit Dogbowl)" under this picture:
Meanwhile, Jon recorded many various albums for Oz-disc, Enban/Horen or Tzadik, digging her personnal universe made of pump organ compositions, and the bizarre way children invent and whisper melodies for themselves when playing in a lonely room. A tribute album was also released including songs covered by Harpy, Chiku (Tama), Kuricorder quartet, Watts Tower,... Last but not least, sometimes running a bar at the pleasant Golden Gai area in Tokyo, she also sounds brilliant as a famous and mysterious Tarot reader...
Without a big surprise, Youtube quickly removed the Jun Togawa live video because someone complained about copyright violation... Sorry it is now missing here.
Fuck low battery, fuck cheap camera, I was anyway missing the pinnacle: Jun Togawa's high lands of sweetness and screams on the two-sided Mushi no onna mind-blowing live version: almighty queen raising the live from the fragile first track attempts to the fury tears and shocking lashes of the last one. Not even music anymore: life is on stage, borderline, bright and pure, both weak and strong, and sincere as so few can be: almighty queen.
Nylon 100%'s was a legendary early-eighties club when it was headquarter of a whole side of japanese creative scene and it seems these two nights raised many questions about the meaning of such a celebration, for audience as for contributors themselves. Indeed, everybody seemed to wonder how it could be possible to keep on and give a proper live testimony considering how these guys used to be so glamourous, fresh, innovative and creative 30 years from now ? As much replies as musicians, courses and histories, of course some of them better than others. As years go by, it seems that many of the attitude and visual relevance was lost in way, to focus more on the musical content itself, with both positive and negative consequencies.
Hikashu probably gave one of the best astonishing set, full of humour, ideas, nonsense, from experimental sides to legendary hits. For someone who heard Makigami Koichi radical yet cartoonesques acapella solo recordings, I have to say live appearance reveal their whole meaning and power.
A pleasure also to hear the fancy-full parade of Space Ponch friends again live after their french tour two years ago (you can check detailed article just below).
